Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety72#4,344/15,637
Economy41#9,298/15,631
Housing87#1,938/14,977
Health70#4,650/15,609
Healthcare92#1,311/15,650
Environment79#3,195/15,453
Education90#1,553/15,649
Infrastructure76#3,745/15,650
Community91#1,415/15,651
Leisure & amenities69#4,867/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Eau Claire, Wisconsin ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Eau Claire County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Mammography screening · high62.0%
99/100Wisconsin 53.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEau Claire County value
Primary care physicians · high142 /100k
98/100Wisconsin 82 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEau Claire County value
High school diploma or higher · high96.3%
98/100Wisconsin 93.6%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Flu vaccinations · high56.0%
96/100Wisconsin 50.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEau Claire County value
Average commute time · low16.7 min
96/100Wisconsin 22.2 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Rent as share of income · low25.1%
95/100Wisconsin 27.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071

Weaknesses

Grocery stores · low0.7 /10k
5/100Wisconsin 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsEau Claire County value
Child care cost burden · high40.5%
8/100Wisconsin 30.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEau Claire County value
Days with unhealthy air · high3.0%
13/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyEau Claire County value
Distance to an airport · high87 mi
14/100Wisconsin 37 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauEau Claire County value
Job growth · low-1.8%
15/100Wisconsin 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataEau Claire County value
Preventable hospital stays · high3,522 /100k
19/100Wisconsin 2,596 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEau Claire County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.8× (2015-2019) → 3.7× (2020-2024)
+31%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
New homes permittedWorsening
8.4 /1k (2021) → 6.5 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−23%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
45.2% (2015-2019) → 40.8% (2020-2024)
−4.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
86.6% (2015-2019) → 91.0% (2020-2024)
+4.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$55,477 (2015-2019) → $67,395 (2020-2024)
+21%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeImproving
27.9% (2015-2019) → 25.1% (2020-2024)
−2.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Eau Claire, Wisconsin improved on 4 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 9 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Rent / income−2.8 points27.9% → 25.1%
Poverty−2.3 points16.6% → 14.3%
Household income+21%$55,477 → $67,395
Broadband+4.4 points86.6% → 91.0%

Declined1

Price / income+0.9×2.8× → 3.7×

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Eau Claire, Wisconsin between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.2 min2015-2019	16.7 min2020-2024	+0.6 min	Within the margin of error	41%
Bachelor's degree or higher	34.1%2015-2019	36.7%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Broadband subscriptions	86.6%2015-2019	91.0%2020-2024	+4.4 points	Improved	28%
Child poverty rate	13.4%2015-2019	12.0%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Effective property tax rate	1.85%2015-2019	1.45%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Little change	84%
High school diploma or higher	94.4%2015-2019	96.3%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.7×2020-2024	+0.9×	Declined	27%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4322015-2019	0.4292020-2024	−0.002	Within the margin of error	53%
Median household income	$55,4772015-2019	$67,3952020-2024	+21%	Improved	36%
Poverty rate	16.6%2015-2019	14.3%2020-2024	−2.3 points	Improved	65%
Public transit commuters	0.9%2015-2019	1.4%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	98%
Rent as share of income	27.9%2015-2019	25.1%2020-2024	−2.8 points	Improved	73%
Rent-burdened households	45.2%2015-2019	40.8%2020-2024	−4.4 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Unemployment rate	4.0%2015-2019	3.4%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.9%2015-2019	6.8%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	49%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Eau Claire, Wisconsin five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Eau Claire, Wisconsin in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Eau Claire, Wisconsin itself moved +0.9 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

70,322 residents (±382)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 70–79 women (+1.1 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

70,322 residents (±382)

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

White85%60,122
Black1.6%1,156
Hispanic or Latino2.9%2,037

Education

43,887 residents (±532)

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

No high school diploma3.7%1,643
High school or GED26%11,192
Some college19%8,315

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

30,492 households (±554)

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under $25k13%3,964
$25k–50k20%6,249
$50k–75k22%6,631
$75k–100k13%4,101
$100k–150k19%5,813
$150k–200k6.4%1,940
$200k or more5.9%1,794

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−8.3 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

30,492 households (±554)

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Own54%16,596
Rent46%13,896

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

13,701 households (±848)

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under $75016%2,142
$750–1,00030%4,116
$1,000–1,50036%4,874

Home values

16,596 homes (±711)

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under $150k15%2,423
$150k–250k36%6,019
$250k–400k38%6,307

Age of homes

31,712 homes (±426)

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

2010 or later9.1%2,888
2000–200912%3,766
1980–199921%6,815

Size of homes

31,712 homes (±426)

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Studio2.7%†867
1 bedroom10%3,248
2 bedrooms35%10,954

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

39,256 workers (±779)

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Drive alone76%29,705
Carpool6.3%2,486
Public transit1.4%†542
Walk3.1%1,207
Bike0.6%†236
Work from home12%4,853
Other0.6%†227

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+7.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

34,403 workers (±878)

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under 15 min53%18,232
15–29 min34%11,764
30–44 min7.5%2,595

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Eau Claire, WI

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Eau Claire County, the county holding most of Eau Claire's residents.

Eau Claire County has 2,753 employer establishments, 255 for every 10,000 residents (1.03× the US rate of 248; 1.04× Wisconsin's), with 51,990 paid employees at an average annual pay of $53,677. The Census Bureau also counts 7,411 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,753; 7,411 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 255; US 248 · Wisconsin 244
Paid employees: 51,990
Average annual pay: $53,677; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Eau Claire County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	217	20.1	0.96×About typical	4,828	$92,417	323
Restaurants and other eating places	193	17.9	0.97×About typical	4,043	$19,192	29
Specialty trade contractors	144	13.3	0.86×About typical	1,270	$68,969	496
Lessors of real estate	108	10	0.81×About typical	747	$43,622	880
Full-service restaurants	85	7.9	1.03×About typical	1,963	$20,901	13
Limited-service restaurants	82	7.6	0.95×About typical	1,656	$17,739	8
Religious organizations	82	7.6	1.37×More than typical	608	$21,660	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	79	7.3	1.09×About typical	784	$32,633	322
Offices of other health practitioners	76	7	1.16×About typical	680	$35,731	198
Automotive repair and maintenance	65	6	1.20×About typical	382	$46,461	62
Individual and family services	65	6	2.15×More than typical	835	$32,649	76
Insurance agencies and brokerages	64	5.9	1.35×More than typical	576	$78,573	149

Rank places for an industry Open Eau Claire County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 107,975 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $278.4K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Eau Claire, Wisconsin: $3.96 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $278.4K; −66% vs FY2025
Per resident: $3.96; US $1,995
Sole-source: 1.7%; US 30%
Single offer: 27%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$153.9K55%
Federal Acquisition Service$70.8K25%
Public Buildings Service$26.5K9.5%
Department of Veterans Affairs$17.6K6.3%
Departmental Offices$5,0091.8%
Defense Information Systems Agency$2,6190.9%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$1,9490.7%

Top recipients

TLD WOLLARD LLC$225.4K81%
HAMMEL GREEN & ABRAHAMSON INC$23K8.3%
LOGICARE CORP$10.3K3.7%
PURPLE MOUNTAIN SOLUTIONS, INC$7,2582.6%
CHIPPEWA LAND SPECIALISTS LLC$5,0091.8%

Spending by fiscal year

2MFY2017
4.1MFY2018
3.4MFY2019
3.3MFY2020
5.9MFY2021
3MFY2022
933KFY2023
660.6K

Top industries (NAICS)

Motor vehicle parts manufacturing · 3363$109.9K39%
Motor vehicle manufacturing · 3361$70.8K25%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$26.5K9.5%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$25.8K9.3%
Other transportation equipment manufacturing · 3369$15.4K5.5%
Software publishers · 5132

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, so they do not add up across cities.

Eau Claire, Wisconsin's figures are part of those of Eau Claire County, WI and Chippewa County, WI ($16M in FY2026), never added to them: 1.7% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Eau Claire is mostly in Eau Claire County.

See federal money in Eau Claire County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Eau Claire, Wisconsin is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Eau Claire, WI94

Other cities and towns in Eau Claire County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5522300

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends